A Gathering of Souls

by Dianne Keep

  She jumped, hitting the wall with her back. The quad stopped.

  “Magnificent, aren’t they? I had Nathan, the blue Seyh, conjure them up. You’ve seen him around.” He traced one of the snakes and its tongue darted out. “Just like the carpet in my father’s study. I was going to have them put on your dress, but then I saw the jewelry. Besides, your alhor sparkles, which is enough of an effect, and I thought it might distract from the snakes.”

  The snakes on his vest turned their attention to her as if they cared to know her opinion. “Good choice.” She smiled. “Nathan seems to be very clever.”

  “He is.”

  At the bottom of the stairs, they veered right toward the back hallways. Bree would have sighed in relief, but her corset was too tight.

  “Is there anything you’d like to do today? I have dress fittings planned for later. We’ll need to make sure you look your best for the Second Zeir’s homecoming and the events to come.” He brought her hand to his lips.

  Bree waited for the searing fire. Nothing. “I don’t know. What do you normally do?”

  Bayan laughed. “A great many things, but I doubt you’d want to sit in on meetings. Or spar with me in the training yard.”

  “Actually—”

  The gilded double doors to the dining hall opened. At the center of the room was a large table that could easily seat a hundred people. This morning was a small affair. Only half of the table was filled, and mostly with people Bree had never seen before. Unless Osling or Bayan introduced her to someone, she could eat without making conversation.

  Bayan led her to her seat two places down from the Resh’s left side. “Morning, Father. Morning, Mother.”

  Bree looked again at the lady to Osling’s left. Fara was dressed in a plain, loose-fitting white dress without a veil. Her hair was a mixture of gray and black. Winkles zigzagged her face and bright, lavender eyes stared at Bree.

  Clearing her throat, Bree curtsied and said, “Good morning, Your Excellencies.”

  Rishi Fara tipped her head. “It is good to be out of my room.” Her voice was soft and scratchy at the same time. “Thank you for assisting me yesterday. I am relieved to be without a fever.” The Resh patted her hand.

  The joy painted on the Osling’s face as he gazed at his wife almost made Bree forgive him for approving Bayan’s proposal. Almost. “I was most happy for the chance to meet the woman who inspires His Greatness.”

  Bayan pulled out Bree’s chair and she sat. A servant placed a crystal bowl of steaming lemon water in front of her, similar to the bowl that was in front of Fara.

  The man to her left ate grain and cream pudding. A plume of sugary goodness reached her nose and her stomach growled. Bree took a sip of the tangy liquid.

  “My Honor is ready for the next course.” Bayan said. A servant took her dish and replaced it with a platter of animal shaped fruit slices.

  Fara sighed and tried to lift the bowl of water to her lips. Her hands shook and she set it down. Osling reached over and helped his wife drink.

  For once, she wasn’t the center of attention or the cause of all the whispers. Not even with Bayan’s Honor chain around her neck. Bree happily ate the fruit, drank hot breakfast tea, and tried to avoid looking at Fara.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  For the last five minutes, Rishi Fara held the entire dining hall in rapt attention as she struggled to eat her porridge. Bree’s eyes begged her to close them so she wouldn’t have to witness such a pitiful creature.

  Resh Osling wiped the sweat from his wife’s brow and checked her temperature with the back of his hand. “Still no fever. Try to finish.”

  Fara’s shoulders hunched. “I can’t eat anymore.” She placed her spoon on the table and looked at Bree. “Will you join me for a walk in the gardens, Superior?”

  The Resh cleared his throat.

  To be addressed so by the Rishi. Bree’s heart palpitated. She couldn’t believe her ears.

  “My private gardens,” Rishi Fara said. “I have several varieties of spark lilies and Zeir Bayan has told me you are fond of them.”

  Bree felt a room full of eyes volley to her. “That would be lovely, thank you, Rishi. I am fond of spark lilies.”

  Fara stood, and so did everyone else at the table. Breakfast was officially over.

  This would be the way of it. People would watch her every interaction once she married Bayan. She stopped her eyes mid-roll and pretended to admire the ceiling casing. Bayan walked with his chest puffed out, drinking it all in. Of course, he would enjoy all the attention. He showed off his slithering snake vest to the courtiers as they passed the royal family in the customary exodus.

  Since Bree stood next to Bayan, she was included in the tradition. While Osling, Bayan, and Fara merely nodded to each passerby, she had to curtsy because she wasn’t royalty yet.

  The muscles in her calves and knees ached by the time the last person departed. Her cheeks twitched from maintaining a pleasant grin, and she might be bleeding from the stays digging into her waist.

  “Might I have a few minutes to freshen myself before our walk?” Bree asked.

  Fara hobbled to her side. “Of course. You’ll have time when we arrive at my rooms. Please.” She extended her arm. “Walk with me.”

  Bree hesitated for a second, but Bayan nodded, so she looped her arm under Fara’s and let her set the pace. Goosebumps prickled Bree’s skin at the close contact, though the charm stayed dormant. Death lingered in the air around Fara, leaving a bitter taste on Bree’s tongue.

  Her quad moved to surround them, but Resh Osling shooed them away. They spread out behind in a neat row with Shane leading.

  Patting Bree’s hand, Fara said, “I’m glad we have a moment together. I can’t imagine what helping me cost you.”

  It earned me a voice in my head. “It was my pleasure. I only wish I could have assisted you sooner. Or helped you more.”

  “You, my star, have done more for me than any of Osling’s Seyhs. Superior Ehre kept me alive, but just barely.” Rishi Fara stumbled, and Bree wrapped her arm around Fara’s waist. It was like hugging a small child.

  “Thank you,” Fara said. “This has been my first outing since I contracted the illness. I wanted the people to see that you’re not as dangerous as everyone says.”

  But you are dangerous.

  Bree startled. She wasn’t going to get used to having a girl speak to her whenever she felt like it.

  I’m not. Bree countered.

  You are.

  “And I didn’t want to be a distraction when Second Zeir Khrisk returns. He deserves all the attention,” Rishi Fara continued.

  Bree nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

  “I’ve missed him,” Fara said. “He’s good about visiting me every day when he’s home. I miss his mother terribly. She was a fine woman. Very smart. Truly kind.” The Rishi sighed. “A good friend to me when I had none.”

  They turned a corner and nearly ran into Osling and Bayan. The men smiled, and continued walking.

  “Is that so?” No one ever talked about Khrisk’s mother. At least, not to her, the only Seyh in history to defect from the army.

  “In Stav, everybody wants something, but she only wanted my company.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” said Bree.

  Fara patted her arm.

  It had to be difficult for the royal family to find friends that liked them for themselves. Maybe Bayan trusted her more than he did any of the other ladies in court. Never mind she was in rehab. Maybe it was that simple for him. She hadn’t tried to trick him into spending time with her. She hadn’t done anything to gain his affection. Is that what he liked about her?

  They walked down a corridor in the direction of the royal family’s wing and turned into a back hallway. Osling opened a door, and Bayan and he walked into the same dark space in between Fara’s rooms and the rest of the palace.

  At the touch of darkness, Fara trembled and Bree’s chest tightened. Once envelope
d in nothingness, Shane took hold of her elbow and another guard helped Fara, and together they took all thirty-seven steps through the obscurity.

  The room they entered on the other side wasn’t the small red room with the blazing fire. Fara smiled. “Welcome to my receiving room.”

  It was spacious and pale green. Boxes wrapped in silk and velvet lined three of the four walls. Presents from courtiers congratulating Fara on her improved health, most likely. Every table in the room had a vase filled with exotic flowers Bree hadn’t seen anywhere else in the palace. Three sitting areas divided the space, each with furniture in distinct colors. Osling and Bayan sat in the blue section.

  A maid with creamy, white skin and flaming-red hair came out of another room and bowed low. She had the same lavender eyes as Fara.

  “Feli, this is Zeir Bayan’s Honor, Bree.” Fara nodded to her maid. “The remarkable young woman who saved my life yesterday.”

  The maid bowed again, this time in the direction of Bree. The maid couldn’t be more than fifteen.

  “We need a moment to refresh ourselves. Then we will go out to the gardens.” Fara led Bree to a red door. “You’ll find everything you need in there. I’ll wait for you here after Feli has assisted me.”

  Bree entered a dressing room with no windows. The sharp stays under her gown dug deeper with each movement. Pouring a cup of water, she gulped it down. There was nothing to do, but grin and pretend she loved her horrible dress. She hissed at the snakes on her wrists.

  Someone knocked on the door. “May I come in?” asked Feli.

  “Yes,” Bree said, smoothing down her skirt. “Is the Rishi well?”

  Feli smiled, a gorgeous grin of pearl white teeth. “She wanted me to see if you needed anything.”

  “I wish I could be out of this dress.”

  “Are the stays too tight?”

  Bree blinked, realizing she’d said the words aloud. “No, no. I’m fine.”

  Feli fingers grazed over the gray fabric. “My mistress wore beautiful gowns like this once. Always too tight.” She unbuttoned the back and wiggled her hands through the strings of the corset. After a few little ripping sounds, Bree could finally breathe. “We figured out a little trick so my mistress wouldn’t suffocate sitting in her chair.”

  “Is it ruined?”

  “No one but the person who sewed the dress would notice.”

  Bree sat in a chair then stood. The stays still pinched, but they no longer felt like knives slicing her flesh. “Thank you, Feli.”

  “I’ll send a note to Tosha and hopefully your bruises will heal soon.” The little maid went to the door. “Are you ready now?”

  Bree nodded and walked out behind Feli. Fara looped her arm in Bree’s and tugged her toward a dark green door past the blue furniture.

  Bayan stood as they passed and took hold of Fara’s free arm. “I think I’ll join you if you don’t mind, Mother.”

  “Of course, I delight in your company.”

  Bayan opened a door, and heavenly scents descended. Bree tried to inhale as much air as possible. Her ribs still ached, but breathing was glorious. A multitude of colors flashed among the luscious green.

  “Beautiful,” said Bree.

  “My sanctuary. I know what’s it’s like being new and everyone staring all the time. Osling allowed me to bring plants from my homeland when I agreed to be his bride.” Fara released Bree’s arm and walked toward a white-canopied bed in the center of the garden. Once she settled herself on the pillows, she said, “I’ve wanted you to come here since your first day in the palace.”

  “Your homeland?” Bree sat in a white wicker chair.

  “My mother is from Feyne” Bayan nestled himself next to Fara. “It’s where I get my violet eyes.”

  “Oh.” She hadn’t known and no one had brought it up before. Why now? She spotted a variety of spark lilies nestled among other flowers she couldn’t recognize. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “When I heard the Resh found you I was both overjoyed and heartbroken.” A tear wet Fara’s cheek. “To have you in Rysa is wonderful, life-saving, even.” She motioned to Bree’s necklaces. “It was not what I wished.”

  How could she say that in front of Bayan? Unless she just meant the memory-erasing charm. “It could not be helped, I suppose.” Bree stood and stretched her lips into what she hoped resembled a smile. “May I look around?”

  “Please. Let me know if you see anything you like. I’ll have Feli bring an arrangement to your room.”

  “Thank you,” said Bree.

  The Rishi’s eyes were closed.

  Bayan kissed his mother’s cheek and hopped off the bed. “I’ll join you. She needs a nap after breakfast and all that walking.” Surprisingly, Bayan didn’t take her hand. “It’s been forever since she’s been able to leave her rooms.”

  “What’s the darkness between her rooms and the palace?” Bree wandered around the enclosure, taking in the myriad of colors and scents.

  Bayan plucked a purple spark lily and put it in her hair. “Ehre and Rhion cooked it up together to prevent the sickness from spreading to the rest of the palace.”

  “Rhion?” She bent to whiff a cluster of orange flowers that seemed to reach out to her.

  “He’s the shiner with the red alhor,” said Zeir Bayan. “He’s Ehre’s tribal leader or was. My father has him working with the researchers on weapons convergence.”

  Bayan had given her two names now. Nathan, the blue Seyh, and Rhion, the red. Was he dropping the names on purpose? Those two had glared at her in the arena yesterday. “Do you think I’ll be allowed to meet him?”

  The wind whistled like an old friend, rustling the plants. Life seeped back into her as her fingers touched every leaf she passed. Her alhor zipped out to run the length of each plant.

  “I’m not sure. You need your talents. Not distractions.” Bayan ran his fingers through his hair.

  “Distractions?” asked Bree. A group of small star-shaped blue flowers huddled in a corner. Their white center contrasted with yellow pollen buds. They looked like part of a vine, but with closer inspection, she noticed the vine choked the stems.

  “Being with more than one Seyh for extended periods of time can cause changes in other Seyh.” Bayan shuffled his feet over the cobbled walkway.

  “Oh.” Whatever that means. Pulling the vine out, Bree set it on the path. She checked to make sure none of the trailing plant remained and transported it to the other side of the garden near a fountain.

  Bayan followed her. “What are you doing?”

  She rubbed her hands on her skirt and walked back to the blue flowers humming a song she’d heard Tosha sing that morning. “That vine was choking these. So, I—” Her hands were in dirt. What was she doing? She looked at her gray gown. “Oh, Bayan. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “It’s nothing. You have a different dress for Khrisk’s homecoming.” He bent next to her. “You like to garden. I’ll have to remember that.”

  “I guess I do.”

  Bayan picked a few of the little blue flowers and arranged them in her hair next to the lily. “These look lovely in your hair.” His hands moved to her face. “You have a little dirt right there.” He wiped her cheek.

  Her heart skipped. The cage in the back of her mind rattled.

  “Did she find the stargazers?” Fara’s called from the bed.

  Bree started.

  “She did,” Bayan answered. He took her hand, helped her stand, and led her back to Fara’s canopied bed.

  “Do you remember where they’re from?” Fara asked.

  I do. They came from her nightmare home, where pines grew taller than the highest tower in Stav. The ash taste returned to her mouth. “I couldn’t say.”

  You could. The other voice laughed. She knows we know.

  Bree cringed. “They’re exquisite.”

  “I think they look lovelier in your hair than on the ground,” said Bayan. “Don’t you agree, Mother?”

&
nbsp; The lines in Fara’s face deepened. “I’ll have Feli bring some to your room. They light up in the evening.”

  Bree hadn’t thought about stars in months, and now she longed to see them. “I’m asleep before the stars come out.” Despite her best effort to keep her feelings buried deep, grief racked her ribs, stealing her breath until she saw spots twinkle in her vision.

  “Come sit with me.” Fara patted the bed.

  Bree complied. Bayan sat at other side of Fara.

  “The stars shine even in the day. We just can’t see them. Remember that when you feel sad inside. Otherwise, you’ll end up like me. Old before you ought to be.” Fara’s face crinkled with a grin.

  Bree wanted to accept the encouraging words, but they fell flat in her ears. She sank into the welcoming pillows, letting their fluffiness surround her like a hug. “I can see why you like it here.”

  “You two are a picture.” Bayan sat up, propping his head in his hand, a boyish smirk on his face.

  Fara beamed, and said, “Your bride has excellent taste in company.”

  Bayan gave Bree the briefest glance and then focused all his attention on the Rishi. “I can’t wait for you to see the dress I selected for tonight. I’ll be wearing—”

  Bree nodded at the proper times, and Fara encouraged her son to chatter on. It was almost normal watching Fara and Bayan behave like mother and son. The silver lady appeared as Bayan spoke of his Ranking clothes. She walked past the canopied bed and stood next to the stargazers. Bree’s heart thudded from either fear or excitement. A little bit of both perhaps. The other voice didn’t seem to have an opinion on the hallucination.

  To calm herself, she inhaled slowly and counted, and almost as quickly as she had arrived, the silver woman faded. Fara winked at Bree, making her wonder if the Resh’s wife had also seen the glittering woman. The Rishi could simply be winking. Reality had become undistinguishable. She could be imagining the entire morning. Either way, her psychosis was becoming normal while her necklace remained eerily quiet.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Aside from the vision in Fara’s garden, the morning passed with little incident. Bree’s early afternoon was spent with the tailor. Zeir Bayan insisted she try on at least twenty dresses for the upcoming festivities until he found the ones he liked, and then had her fitted for her Ranking day début. That was the only outfit she really adored, probably because it consisted of pants and a jacket.